Residential fridge and inverter compatibility

[Hypoxia]

I have seen Energy Star refrigerator evaporator fan motors fail on MSW.  It is an easy cure, replace the fan motor with a non Energy Star efficient motor.  In my experience the normal replacement motor does not have that circuitry and works fine on MSW.

[Paul J A]

19 hours ago, Steven P said:

Thanks for your input David.  We were hoping for a Whirlpool as we have one we really like,  but alas,  none will fit without sticking way out.  We will keep doing our research and appreciate the info from this who have been there before us. 

Steve

We have had good posts here and on otther RV sites about; 

Fisher & Paykel Counter Depth Refrigerators

 

Paul A

[Steven P]

Well, we made a decision and placed the order.  Going w the GE counter depth 17.5 cu ft in slate.   BTW, appliances are in high demand and I talked w several places who cannot get fridges til Dec.  This fridge should be available in 2 weeks.  Now I gotta get the Norcold out.  

[Onthego]

Reading the spec. About the installation it call for 2.0 Inch from the back wall for air, because you have a outside service door with vent opening it would be a good idea to leave one row open to make up for 2” air space required. Someone asked how close to a side wall about opening the doors. 

”We recommend about 2" on the sides to open the doors 90 degrees if installed next to a wall.”  

Back Air Clearances

2.0 in

Looks to be a nice Model

[Dr4Film]

Those are similar installation specs that came with the Samsung RF-197 we had installed in 2012. There was just enough room for the fridge with and inch or two at the rear however the more important alignment is with the front edge of the fridge body. The body of our Samsung is recessed ever so slightly (maybe1/4 inch) from the front edge of the wood trim of the opening to allow the French Doors to swing open fully without binding and still not stick out from the opening so much.

Our installation tech blocked off the ceiling vent opening completely and the side vent opening completely. The air needed for circulation comes from the bottom front of the fridge and then circulates all around the fridge exiting back into the inside of the coach. I do not recommend leaving any openings to the outside as this allows for road dirt to enter the fridge area accumulating dust and dirt unnecessarily. You also do not want extremely cold air entering the rear of the fridge area that could affect the temperature of the control board. One member discovered that the fridge would not run because the very cold air entering the side vent was not allowing the fridge to turn on and run.

[jacwjames]

I remounted the electrical outlets the same as Richard, which resulted in the +2" clearance in the rear of the fridge.  I also added additional blocking at the top and slides to keep the fridge from moving.  On the sides I actually tapered the blocks so that the refrigerator centered itself when I pushed it in.  In the end the front of the refrigerator aligned flush/even with the front of the cabinet. 

Since I made two separate supports for the fridge to sit on that align with the rollers there is plenty of air movement from under the fridge. 

[Dr4Film]

One important item I forgot to include in my last post is in regards to the rear access panel on the fridge. This panel allows you access to the compressor, evaporator fan, control board, drip tubes and drip pan along with brackets to screw through to secure the rear of the fridge to the floor. Remove that access panel prior to installing the fridge as you will not have access to ALL of the screws AFTER it is installed. Once installed the panel can be reinserted using only the screws you can easily access.

[Bob Nodine]

9 hours ago, Steven P said:

Well, we made a decision and placed the order.  Going w the GE counter depth 17.5 cu ft in slate.   BTW, appliances are in high demand and I talked w several places who cannot get fridges til Dec.  This fridge should be available in 2 weeks.  Now I gotta get the Norcold out.  

Steve,

Here is an old post I made on irv2 back in 2011 when we ditched our Norcold and installed the Samsung RF197. I lowered the floor and cut a portion of the cabinet out at the top of the opening. Be sure and remove any insulation on the sides because modern fridges dissipate heat on the sides and the insulation will only slow that process.  This thread is outdated and I have since improved the installation with brackets at the top and permanent latches on the freezer and fridge doors that keep them closed when traveling without one of the many door keepers. We would usually forget to put the door keeper in place or the wife would get something out of the fridge at a rest stop and would not put it back. I got tired of the door flying open while going down the road. Also don't be fooled by those that suggest to leave the top and bottom vent in place. They should be plugged because a residential does not like outside air and is designed to pull air from your house interior in at the bottom and exhaust it on the sides and over the top. Keep that in mind when you do the install and leave sufficient gaps for air flow. If you are blocked on the photos at irv2 link let me know and I can give you access. I think things have changed since I made that post. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Bob

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/samsung-rf197-installed-in-2006-diplomat-40pdq-102210.html

 

[robert5158@att.net]

Steven......2 months ago completed a Norcold to residential conversion in our 2003 36 ft. Holiday Rambler Endeavor; had the front propane heater under refer unit. There were three units I found that would fit the opening, with no alterations. Believe all three were 13.9 cu ft. models, so almost 2 cu ft. bigger than the Norcold. Frigidaire FFHT 1425 V, energy start rated, a Whirlpool and GE unit. All three carried, but NOT necessarily in stock or currently available, by Lowes, and HD. I wanted black, none available or on order, so lucked out a a Lowes and got a white unit and painted black. Any of the three would have worked in my unit, but I preferred the Frigidaire based on what an appliance repairman friend advised me.  Plus it was the only one Energy Star rated. MH came with a 1500 watt Heart Interface, Freedom 458 Series Inverter/Charger. We haven't taken any long trips with it yet, but I have run it several days without charging off 4, 3 year old Costco golf cart batteries, and didn't drain them down all that much. Once this thing gets cold, runs very little, and that was empty !!! Soooo, there's my story, and I'm stickin to it :))))))

[lotosrggp1]

One place you can research the physical sizes and other information on many different brands is at: https://www.ajmadison.com/ under each models specifications. They also ship free, never bought there though.

[Steven P]

Well almost done.  Fridge is in and running and water works!  Just have to finish the mounts to make it snug.   I think it turned out great.  I did have to trim 1/4" off the wood on one side.  We also put it on the dolly and put all the doors on, but when I went to slide it into place, there was not enough clearance in the hall, so I had to take the doors back off, put in place and reinstall the doors. This required pulling the water supply line out of the fridge. So my wife,  who is tiny, had to climb into the outside service hole and hook the line back together (push fitting).

[Dr4Film]

Great looking job, Steven!

In the files section there should have been a PDF file which has a photo record of all the steps taken by the shop I had remove my NotSoCold and install my residential fridge. (I attached it below)

Our fridge is installed into the exact same location as yours is. Plus we have a ceiling light fixture directly in front of the fridge like you do and you can tell by the photos that they had to remove that light fixture prior to sliding the fridge into the opening. Then they installed the doors afterwards.

Enjoy your new fridge. You will quickly tell yourself, "self....why didn't I do this much earlier". LOL I know I did.

Samsung RF197ACBP.pdf

[jacwjames]

Looks good,

How did you secure the top of the fridge?

Enjoy!

[Dr4Film]

Jim, my Samsung RF-197 is not secured at the top either in the front or the rear. It is secured at the bottom only front & rear. Hasn't moved at all and we travel with it jammed full most of the time. Helps keep the food from moving.

[jacwjames]

Ok, good to know. 

Thanks

[Bob Nodine]

9 hours ago, Steven P said:

Well almost done.  Fridge is in and running and water works!  Just have to finish the mounts to make it snug.   I think it turned out great.  I did have to trim 1/4" off the wood on one side.  We also put it on the dolly and put all the doors on, but when I went to slide it into place, there was not enough clearance in the hall, so I had to take the doors back off, put in place and reinstall the doors. This required pulling the water supply line out of the fridge. So my wife,  who is tiny, had to climb into the outside service hole and hook the line back together (push fitting).

Looks nice Steven, you know you can reduce the height of the lower furnace vent and reuse it. I'll post some photos.

Reducing the height of the vent.

[Steven P]

@Bob Nodine, yes. thank you.  That is my plan. 

@Dr4Film thank you.  I'm already wondering why I hadnt done it before.

@jacwjames I haven't yet,  but plan to today or this week.   Per advice of others before me, I will place heavy duty 3m double sided automotive tape and aluminum L brackets on the fridge sides and screw them to the wood frame.  I have 2 screws at the bottom of the fridge I will use for straight brackets to the wood frame as it sits flush w the frame.  More pics to come.  

 

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Steven P

[jacwjames]

I did the same thing for the top, used pieces of aluminum angle painted black and 3M tape and then screwed into the front of the cabinet. 

Since I don't have a full platform on the bottom I had to get creative on how to fasten the fridge in place.  For the bottom I added additional wood pieces on both sides using glue and kreg pocket screws and some additional wood behind to beef it up.  I then used heavy brackets aligned with the leveling feet of the fridge and used these to fasten the front down.  Just removed the feet, set the heavy bracket to align with the feet, marked the hole to align, drilled it and then after mounting bracket screwed the leveling foot up from the bottom.  Not going anywhere. 

As I was test fitting my fridge I decided to add blocking at the back to space it to align with the face frame and also added tapered blocks so that when I pushed it into place it would center into the opening.  This would keep the fridge from shifting.  This was also helpful as I was moving mine in/out as I was installing, probably did this 10 times since the last thing I did was drill the new intake/exhaust holes for the furnace from when I lowered it.  I wanted to be 100% sure the fridge would fit before I cut the new holes since there was no turning back after that. 

Since my fridge was lowered ~6 inches the bottom front louvered vent is not really noticeable so I didn't bother remaking it with louvers but instead used the rails and stiles to make a frame and just used a piece of wire mesh painted black.   If you zoom in on the picture below you can see the bottom and top brackets.  Painted black they match the fridge and aren't noticeable.

 

[Dennis H]

Looks good. Now all that's needed is a door lock. We tried various latches, kid locks, etc. and found the Fridge Fixer to be the simplest, easiest and most secure latch to keep the doors closed while traveling. I have nothing to do with the company only in using their product which I've been satisfied with. Only issue with the residential fridge is the 20 seconds in the microwave to get the ice cream soft enough to scoop. 🙂 ....Dennis

Fridge Fixer

[Steven P]

@jacwjames, all that sounds good and beefed up for sure.  I'm not sure if it's my phone,  but I cannot open the pic.  

@Dennis H that fridge fixer looks good and easy.  I have seen simple rv drawer latches be effective.  Honestly, the doors are already so tight, I wonder if I even need a lock. 

[Dr4Film]

27 minutes ago, Steven P said:

I have seen simple rv drawer latches be effective.  Honestly, the doors are already so tight, I wonder if I even need a lock. 

Steven, trust me you will NEED locks on the French Doors and the freezer drawer. Without locks, after a few sharp turns you will be picking up all of your food off the floor.

My installer used the Southco Grabber Catch Latches (which are used on all of my cabinets and drawers), one on each French Door. I tried to use them but in order to close the door completely you had to give it a good hard push much like the cabinet doors and drawers that are in my coach. I removed them as I preferred the French doors closing on their own as most residential fridges are designed to do. So now I simply use a Velcro strap for the French Doors. The installer did something different with the freezer drawer. He installed an small L Bracket on the face of the fridge then drilled a small shallow hole into the top of the drawer to accept a small one inch long pin that goes through the L bracket into the hole.

I have never had any of the doors or drawer open up accidentally in all of the years we have had the fridge.

Photos of my door and drawer locking system included.

[Hypoxia]

Why is it always the pickle jar that is the first one out when the door swings open?  Someone I know seems to forget to latch the door and no matter where the pickles are they seem to jump out first......

[Steven P]

@Dr4Film thanks for sharing.  Looks easy enough. 

[Bob Nodine]

10 hours ago, Hypoxia said:

Why is it always the pickle jar that is the first one out when the door swings open?  Someone I know seems to forget to latch the door and no matter where the pickles are they seem to jump out first......

Exactly the reason we switched to the South Co cabinet latches that Richard does not like. We have used two other types of door keepers but they both required you to do something after the doors were closed to secure them. My check list would make sure they were in place before we started the travel day but invariable the wife would get something out of the fridge at a stop along the way and forget to put the keeper back. Of course one or both of the French doors would soon be flung open as we were underway. With the cabinet latches all you need to do is close the door and you are ready to travel. Yes they take some getting use to but I found it easier and more pleasant than having a discussion with the wife about remembering to put the door keeper in place.

[throgmartin]

Steve:

Trust me - you WILL need door locks. My doors on my Whirlpool were nice and tight too. I made an invasive move because of a jackwagon who got stupid inn front of me and heard a helluva crash. The doors opened and all the contents in the fridge and freezer ended up on the floor. I invented some new curse words when that happened. I installed locks right after that incident. I also installed some expanding rods that are similar to curtain rods on the shelves to hold everything in place. I bought those fridge rods at Camping World.

Like my buddy Richard I wondered why I ever held on to that POS Norcold for as long as I did. I threw so much time and money at it fixing that thing. I had just did another recall fix on it, replaced the heaters and fans and the circuit board and the cooling unit went. When I tore it out I dragged it to the doorway and literally kicked it out onto the patio. I wanted to grab my 9 mm and fill it with holes I was so PO'ed. I installed the whirlpool, did a happy dance and never looked back. Just wished I would have done that long before I threw time, money and parts at that Norcold.

Your install looks great. I really like the fridge. Looks awesome. I went with a 2 door model but then I am not a Veterinarian so couldn't afford a fancy fridge like you got. 🙂 😁